Can stress cause fainting?

My son & future daughter-in-law just came back from Baghdad. They decided they wanted to get married (they have been dating for quite some time). Two days after they got back they went to Ohio to meet her parents. That was 8 days non-stop of scheduled meeting family & friends, etc. - no real relaxation.

They had planned to have a very small ceremony now so that they could get the extra money that the Army gives married couples (a substantial amount) and then save for a bigger ceremony and reception in May. Well her Mother was very unhappy (and controlling) and talked her into doing the whole thing right away. This girl is also taking college classes after working all day (sometimes extended shifts) and not only is she becoming a wife but also a stepmom.

My son's daughter's Mom is in the Air Force and she is getting deployed in December so in order for my son to take care of his daughter while she is gone he has to have a place off post and needs the extra money that the Army would give him for being married.
By the way - this was my future daughter-in-laws plan to get married sooner for the money.

I know this is complicated but hang in there with me.

We were at the bridal shop and she was having her gown altered when she pretty much turned all kinds of colors and blacked out. We took her to the hospital but they said she was fine. They did lots of bloodwork.

We have finally convinced them to have a small ceremony now (not tell her parents) and let them think that she is actually getting married in May. It took some talking but after they finally made the decision the relief was really evident on both their faces. She doesn't want to lie to her parents but they are not people you can reason with. She is still very anxious about telliing them about the May ceremony. She will actually not lie. She will tell them that they plan a ceremony and reception in May and are getting engaged now. She just isn't filling in the in-betweens.

So with all this stress this girl has is it possible that the stress and exhaustion from getting back from deployment and all that is going on could be the reason she fainted?

Hi Maxsam, yes I think exhaustion and stress probably caused her to faint
some valium or similar should help her with the wedding if she is very anxious
its common for brides to faint on their wedding day due to stress, exhaustion and not enough food
a good breakfast on the wedding day is recommended

Maxsam,
I've had the problem of faiting a few times because of stress, anger, and exhaustion. As a matter a fact just yesterday my husband and I got in an argument over him going out all the time and not making time to talk to me over the phone.(He's in the Military, He's recently in Japan.) He hung up the phone on me and I was so mad and stress with anger plus I was hungry. So I decided I would go eat breakfast. While eating breakfast I fainted right onto the floor and my dad had to wake me back up and help me to my feet. Sometimes not eating the right foods or being exhausted will tear your body down. A wedding is a big occasion I also almost fainted at my wedding because of not getting enough sleep, and being scared to walk down that big path of life. Really I don't rely on medication or even vitimans, I mostly rely on myself to control my moods. Just have both of them pray together. Another thing that helped me, This is if she is really fretting about the wedding and her future life as a wife. I stayed with my Husband-to-be (Husband now) The night before the wedding he really help me coupe with alot of my nervesness and he made me feel very comfortable the day of the wedding. Good luck to all of you and God Bless.

Anxiety attacks cause people to feint all the time, but I'm not sure if that's what she had from your discription. Breath holding and hyperventilation cause it in anxiety attacks, but fienting can have other causes besides stress. Was it really hot that day? Was she standing for a long time with her knees locked? Any possibility that she was dehydrated (remember that it doesn't have to be hot to get dehydrated)? The list goes on and on, but if the doctors said she was fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless it was an anxiety attack, in which case she should look into getting help for anxiety - people without anxiety disorders don't get attacks when they're really stressed out. If she had an attack, it's an on-going thing, regardless of wedding stress. Good luck

Its very common to faint while under pressure, anxiety and stress.
Lack of food and sleep can also cause your blood pressure to drop.
Its happened to me a number of times. Its a very scary feeling but there's nothing to worry about if their the courses.
Sit with your head between your knees wen u feel ur gonna fall, or lay down with your feet in the air.

Military life is certainly stressful in itself! I know because I am an army wife of 11 years.

When we were married it was under the pressure of my family to have a ceremony versus a small gathering with the justice because the money would have helped me pay for the last year of college and we had already dated for 6 years so we KNEW we were getting married either way. OK, me rambling!

The day after the ceremony we drove from NY to CA where we were stationed. Within 30-45 days I was having heart palpitations, hyper ventialting, dizzy and finally passed out at work. I had been tested for Leukemia, various EKGs, bloodwork, CAT scans and so much more. Nothing found. It went on but DRs said it was just stress and get some rest! After birth of first child it got worse. I wish to God I had understood the full effects of stress back then.

YES. Anxiety, stress and depression are very real condidions that can cause several physical side effects. This is not in her head as some may think or making it up.

Stomach Aches, Diarhea, Constipation, heart palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath, hot flashes, vision difficulties and so very much more all can be symptoms of anxiety/depression.

The Army offers several outlets for assistance with this. Please feel free to contact me if she needs to know about the Army's regs as there are ways to make this better. As I said I am 11 years into army life and it is stressful. My husband is deployed to a war zone right now and I am about to have back surgery that will lay me up for three weeks. Did I mention I have two kids ages 7 and 3? Yep, more fun!

What I am saying is, as you know, life does not necessarily get easier with age we just learn how to deal with it. There are ways for her to work with this so it does not have to get out of hand. On the same note maybe this was an isolated incident that won't be a chronic condition but it is wise to know how to prevent it next time.

Best wishes to you as the new mom-in-law and blessing to the new couple.

April

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Sept 16 will be surgery for L5-S1 disc herniation and fragmentation due to degenerative disease (early onset)
I am 32 with two children and want to play with them again so I am going ahead with it.